BEARS LOSE DOWLING

Bears co-captain to miss NRL grand final curtain-raiser

BURLEIGH Bears co-captain Jamie Dowling has been refused permission by the parole board to go to Sydney this weekend for tomorrow’s Interstate Challenge curtainraiser to the NRL grand final.

The former Titan, who was this week convicted of possessing cocaine, needed parole board approval to leave the state.

He was told late on Thursday his application to go to Sydney for the showdown with NSW’s Intrust Super Premiership-winning Illawarra Cutters, had been rejected.

On Monday, Dowling was sentenced in the Southport District Court to two years’ probation for possessing cocaine in 2014 while he was contracted to play for the Gold Coast Titans.

Dowling’s lawyer, Campbell MacCallum, said the application had been rejected because the board believed the 25-year-old may reoffend while in a rugby league “setting”. Mr MacCallum slammed the decision, saying it was flawed.

He said the board argued Dowling previously possessed cocaine in a rugby league environment but this was not what the court had been told earlier in the week.

“The basis of the sentence was that Dowling offended because he wasn’t playing football at the time,” Mr MacCallum said.

“He offended because he was depressed, injured and bored, and probation ignored that and said the risk of him reoffending in Sydney was too great, given the environment.”

Dowling is reportedly devastated by the decision.

“His teammates are like his family,” Mr MacCallum said.

“The local club and rugby league are what have rehabilitated him and the decision is counter-productive to what probation is designed to achieve.

“The probation board is clearly trying to make some sort of statement but it will no doubt backfire, given it is counter-productive to my client’s rehabilitation.”

Burleigh Bears chief executive Damian Driscoll said Dowling had been replaced in the squad by 18th man Parahi Wilson, who missed the Queensland Cup grand final last weekend in which Bur- leigh defeated Redcliffe, 26-16.

Mr Driscoll said it was a “disappointment” Dowling would not be able to join the team but Wilson was a strong replacement.

“We’re disappointed Jamie can’t play and he will be a loss but we have a great depth at the club and Parahi has been an integral part of the team all year and was unlucky not to play in the Intrust Super Cup grand final,” he said.

“Jamie has been a standout at training and a leader of the group. He really is one of the leading lights of a club.”